Why I Love Linux
How many people do you know that have more experience with Linux than they do Windows? As of November 2025, about 3% of computers run on Linux (desktop and laptops combined). Windows is at 66% and macOS is at 14%. With that being said, I love Linux and there are many reasons you might be able to appreciate it if you have a passion for tech.
Open Source Freedom
To begin, Linux is open source. To my knowledge, open source software is software where you can see the root—basically where it came from. You can make sure you’re running an official install because the source code is out there. This may be small and insignificant for non-tech users, but for me as a CS student, it makes all the difference.
My Journey: Starting from Scratch
To preface, before building my own PC last summer, I would have had limited experience on any computing OS system. This would end up being my best trait later on. Linux at first was extremely scary and nerve-wracking to get into. You MUST use the CLI to get any use out of Linux. Using the CLI is the difference between using a computer and a computer using you, in my opinion. From the CLI, I can directly control the system. Something like this is available in Mac and Windows, but is not necessary for everyday use. I started with Arch Linux—so if you know anything about the differences between Linux distros, you know that’s a headache. The best part was that I had to struggle for so long before anything I did made any sense to me.
The Turning Point
After months of daily driving Linux on my laptop, desktop, and homeserver, I realized I genuinely felt alien when I used a Windows computer. The fact was that I had more hours on Linux than Windows in maybe 6-8 months of daily use. The real benefit is when I do anything related to programming, AI, etc. I never have any issues switching IDEs, programming languages, etc. Linux for a CS student is so good I was SHOCKED to see my teammates at the hackathon I attended last week running Windows.
Why I Can Never Go Back to Windows
I can never go back to Windows and here’s a few reasons why:
- Customization: Customization on Windows is very limited compared to Linux
- Transparency: You know exactly what your machine is doing and get a better understanding when using CLI daily
- Development Environment: You can test programs easier—we had to use my laptop to run the code we had as Linux was simply running all dependencies with no issues
- Career Preparation: As a CS student trying to get into cybersecurity, I’ll have no issue SSH-ing into remote servers and devices that run Linux as that’s my everyday environment
The struggle was worth it. Linux didn’t just change how I use computers—it changed how I understand them.